Learning how to play Daily Grand starts with a single C$3 play: five numbers from 1 to 49 plus one Grand Number from 1 to 7, entered in a Monday or Thursday draw. Daily Grand is a national Canadian lottery built around a prize paid for life, and matching all five main numbers and the Grand Number brings C$1,000 a day for life or a single payment of C$7,000,000.
What goes into a C$3 Daily Grand play
Daily Grand is a game of the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC), which holds the draws, while the regional lottery corporations sell the tickets. You need to be of legal age where you live to buy one: 18 or 19, depending on the province.
The basics of how to play Daily Grand are the same wherever you buy. The game conditions allow selections to be chosen by the player, computer generated, or a combination of both, and sellers let you pick the five main numbers yourself or ask for a Quick Pick. Sellers handle the Grand Number differently, though: the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) tells players to select one, while PlayNow, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation's site, says it will be chosen for you randomly.
Draws are held every Monday and Thursday, and the ticket shows the draw date each play is entered in. Sales close on the evening of the draw; WCLC, for example, sells tickets until 9:30 pm CT, 8:30 pm MT and 7:30 pm PT on draw day.
In some regions the game goes by its French name, Grande Vie, which is how Loto-Québec lists it.
What every Daily Grand match pays, and the odds behind it
The game conditions list every winning combination with its prize and odds. A bare number below means that many main numbers matched without the Grand Number; "+ Grand Number" means the Grand Number matched as well.
| Your play matches | Prize | Odds per play |
|---|---|---|
| 5 + Grand Number | C$1,000 a day for life, or a C$7,000,000 lump sum | 1 in 13,348,188 |
| 5 | C$25,000 a year for life, or a C$500,000 lump sum | 1 in 2,224,698 |
| 4 + Grand Number | C$1,000 | 1 in 60,674 |
| 4 | C$500 | 1 in 10,112 |
| 3 + Grand Number | C$100 | 1 in 1,411 |
| 3 | C$20 | 1 in 235.2 |
| 2 + Grand Number | C$10 | 1 in 100.8 |
| 1 + Grand Number | C$4 | 1 in 19.7 |
| Grand Number only | Free Play | 1 in 12.3 |
The Grand Number does most of its work near the bottom of the table. Three, four or five main numbers win something on their own. Below that, the Grand Number is what makes a play a winner: two main numbers without it win nothing, while the Grand Number alone earns a Free Play.
That Free Play isn't cash. Under the conditions, the winning ticket is exchanged for a new Daily Grand play, which counts as a C$3 play.
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1 in 13,348,188 — the odds, per play, of matching all five main numbers and the Grand Number. |
No choice of numbers changes them. The odds of winning any prize are 1 in 6.8 per play, and the Free Play is one of the prizes that figure covers. Every draw is random and independent, so a long run without a win doesn't bring one closer, and numbers that came up often in the past say nothing about the next draw. Each additional play adds one entry at C$3; the odds for each play stay as listed.
C$1,000 a day for life, or C$7,000,000 up front?
Only the top two prizes come in two forms, an annuity for life or a lump sum, and PlayNow says winners choose as part of the prize claim process. The game conditions make the choice final and binding. A winner who doesn't choose within the time allowed, or doesn't supply the details needed to set up the annuity, is treated as having taken the lump sum.
A few questions show what "for life" means in practice.
Is "C$1,000 a day" paid out every day? Not necessarily. The conditions say the top-prize annuity is payable at intervals ILC sets at its sole discretion.
Who pays the annuity? A third-party provider selected by ILC issues it, for a minimum period of 20 years. Taking it is conditional on releasing ILC and the regional lottery corporation from liability for it, including if that provider doesn't pay.
What if the winner dies early? WCLC says there's no set maximum on the length of payments, only the 20-year minimum. If the winner dies within 20 years, the beneficiary can receive the remaining payments for the rest of that term or take their commuted value as a lump sum; with several beneficiaries, the commuted value is paid as a lump sum and divided among them. If the winner dies after more than 20 years, the annuity is complete and nothing further is paid.
Can every winner choose the annuity? No. The conditions require the lump sum when the winner hasn't reached the age of majority or lives outside Canada's provinces and territories, when there are two or more winners of an annuity prize, and when a winning ticket is shared by more than one person, as with a group. ILC may also pay the lump sum for other reasons it considers justified.
What Canada's tax-free rule covers
The Canada Revenue Agency's income tax folio on lottery winnings says a prize from a lottery scheme isn't taxable as income or as a capital gain. That covers the prize itself; income later earned on it, such as interest, is taxable. None of this is tax or financial advice; questions about a particular win, including the annuity option, belong with the CRA or a qualified professional.
When two plays match the same top line
The "for life" wording assumes a single winner. When more than one play wins either of the top two prize categories in the same draw, the game conditions say that category's lump sum value is shared, and WCLC's game page puts it simply: the winners split the lump sum payment for that prize category. Nobody in that position gets the annuity.
Below the top two, the conditions mark each prize "Fixed" and contain no sharing rule for them.
The top prize doesn't grow when nobody wins it, either. The one allowance the conditions make is that, on specific draw dates of its choosing, ILC may hold additional draws or increase the Main Draw prizes.
Checking the result and claiming within a year
Monday and Thursday draws each have their own winning numbers, so match the ticket's draw date to the right result first. Then count how many of your main numbers were drawn, check the Grand Number, and find the line in the table above. The Daily Grand page on lottery.fm shows the latest draw with its prize breakdown, and the lottery.fm ticket checker takes five main numbers and a Grand Number and checks them against the Daily Grand draws on record. Regional add-ons printed on the same ticket, such as Encore, Extra or Tag, are separate games the checker doesn't cover.
Prizes must be claimed within one year following the draw date. The regional lottery corporation that sold the ticket can tell you where and how to claim.
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💡 The year counts from the draw date, not from the day you spot the win, and that includes a Grand Number-only Free Play. |
If gambling has stopped being fun, support is available through the problem gambling helpline for your province or territory — the Responsible Gambling Council lists every one on its Help for Canadians page.
Always confirm winning numbers, prize amounts, and deadlines with the official operator before acting on a ticket — the operator's published results are the only ones that count.
Sources
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Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, published by Atlantic Lottery · approved December 21, 2023, effective January 22, 2024 · DAILY GRAND Game Conditions · Daily Grand game conditions (PDF)
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Western Canada Lottery Corporation · viewed October 4, 2026 · DAILY GRAND · WCLC's Daily Grand game page
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Western Canada Lottery Corporation · viewed October 4, 2026 · Frequently Asked Questions · WCLC's answers on Daily Grand annuity payments
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British Columbia Lottery Corporation (PlayNow) · viewed October 4, 2026 · Daily Grand · Daily Grand on PlayNow
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Loto-Québec · viewed October 4, 2026 · Grande Vie Results · Grande Vie results on Loto-Québec
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Canada Revenue Agency · July 3, 2020 · Income Tax Folio S3-F9-C1, Lottery Winnings, Miscellaneous Receipts, and Income (and Losses) from Crime · CRA income tax folio on lottery winnings
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Canada Revenue Agency · modified September 17, 2026 · Amounts that are not reported or taxed · CRA list of amounts that are not reported or taxed
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lottery.fm game facts database · facts as of October 4, 2026 · Daily Grand — game facts · Daily Grand game facts on lottery.fm
